The Komodo dragon is just one in a whole family of dragons. It’s family includes some of the largest and most fascinating lizards on the planet.
Recently, scientists added a new species to this family: Varanus bitatawa. This newly discovered dragon is a big deal for biodiversity.
Not only can they grow to be over six feet and 20 pounds, but they’re primarily vegetarian — something unheard of for their family. Not to mention these lizards only live on the largest island in the Philippines, the heavily populated and deforested island of Luzon.
They can be found in the Sierra Madre mountain range, living high in the trees and spending less than 20 minutes per day on the ground.
The Philippines is one of the most biodiverse countries on earth. It encompasses more than 7000 tropical islands, each with their own unique rainforest ecosystem complete with animals and plants found nowhere else in the world.
Huge swaths of these one-of-a-kind forests are being cut down each year to make room for industrial agricultural operations. Increasing demand for commodity crops — coffee, cocoa — has driven rates of deforestation through the roof all over the tropics.
These regions are also some of the most unique parts of the planet, making the all-encompassing conflict between man and nature more noticeable.
Conservation activists rely on the use of “flagship species” to rally the public to their cause, but they tend to be large, fuzzy and cute to appeal to our human compassion. This can bias our environmental protection efforts to the needs of mammals and birds, leaving that vast majority of creatures, especially reptiles, ignored.
Scientists and conservationists alike hope that the newly discovered gentle giant, Varanus bitatawa, may be able to become a flagship species and rally public support to conserve what little habitat they have left.
The locals consider these lizards a delicacy and have known of the lizard’s existence for some time. Scientists had believed them to be a population of Varanus olivaceus, a near relative.
Recently scientists were able to capture specimens of both species and give them both a close look side by side.
They found V. bitatawa covered in yellow spots, strikingly different from the drab grey scales of V. olivaceus.
They also observed a difference in the shapes of their penises. Many reptiles have unusual split penises, known to biologists as hemipenes, and their precise shape is species specific.
When scientists concluded their research it was clear V. bitatawa is a fully distinct species — brand spanking new to the world of biology and smack dab in the middle of one of the most threatened ecosystems on planet Earth.
Think about that the next time you pick up a Hershey bar or a can of pineapple.
There could be dragons and they could be gone before we even know they’re here.
jaykgold@indiana.edu
@JayKeche
